Hydrangea Care Tips

CARING FOR HYDRANGEAS OUTDOORS: TIPS ON PLANTING & GROWING

Hydrangeas have been prized for centuries for their huge clusters of lovely flowers. They come in a number of colors, including blue, pink, red, white, and purple. The flowers cluster in the shape of a pom-pom and are perfect for a number of different areas of landscaping. They bloom for a long time, often from spring into the late summer or early fall. They’re also easy to grow and are very hardy. Many people plant them for their bright pops of color as well as their ease of care. 

Planting Hydrangeas

When you want to plant hydrangeas outdoors, the best time to do this is in the fall. If you miss the fall, you can also plant them in the early spring. By planting then during one of these seasons, you will give your plant enough time to establish itself with healthy roots before the blooming season begins. This is best for the health of the plant. When you are planting, the best times to do it are the early morning and the late afternoon because these times are cooler. This allows you to avoid stressing the plant with heat as it is being planted. 

If you are planting a cutting of a hydrangea, these are best planted in the spring when the plant is in full growth mode. This will also give the cutting a full season of growing so that it becomes a full-size plant in the same year. The early morning and late evening are also the best times for planting cuttings. 

Taking Care of Hydrangeas

It’s generally easy to care for hydrangeas, and they will tolerate a lot of conditions. Most hydrangeas don’t do well in extreme heat, so it’s important for them to have some shade. This shade can be partial shade, and it’s a good idea to give them shade in the afternoon to avoid the worst of the heat. 

They prefer to be in rich soil, though they will grow in just about any type of soil. They also like the soil to be moist, and it must be well-draining. Though they like moist conditions, if the soil doesn’t drain well, the roots can rot, and the plant will be vulnerable to fungal diseases. If you have thick soil that isn’t well-draining, add some sand or gravel to the soil when you plant your hydrangea. 

Spring Care

During the spring, hydrangeas should be watered often to encourage the roots to grow. They need about 1” of water each week during the spring and summer. They like their moisture level to be consistent as well. It’s a good idea to mulch the plant in the spring so that more moisture will be kept in the soil and the temperature of it will be cooler. Hydrangeas love cool temps and can be damaged by too much heat. If you use organic mulch, it will also add important nutrients to the hydrangea’s soil as it breaks down. 

 The pH of the plant’s soil is what determines which color the flowers are. If you are interested in a specific color of your plant’s blooms, you can change the pH of the soil to get a specific color. When the pH is low, hydrangeas can absorb more aluminum, and this makes the blooms blue. You can foster this by mixing peat moss into the soil. You can also add aluminum sulfate directly to the soil a few times during the growing season. When the pH is higher, this can turn the flowers pink. You can add ground limestone to the soil to foster pink and red blooms. 

Fall and Winter Care

Fall is a great time to plant hydrangeas, and it is also a good time to stop fertilizing them if you had been during the growing season. Deadheading the dead flowers can help the plant to look in better condition. In the winter, watch out for cold damage done to the plant such as tips of branches getting burned by the cold. If this happens, wait to prune the plant until the later winter or the early spring for the best results. 

Pruning Hydrangeas

Pruning hydrangeas can be done to control the size of the plant and to give it the shape you want it to have. Climbing varieties are often pruned to control how high it gets and how wide it spreads. Pruning should generally be done in the early spring. When pruning, remove any dead wood for better growth, and don’t prune away the flower buds. 

There are many varieties of hydrangeas and knowing which variety you have can help you to prune at the right time. While many types prefer pruning in the early spring, there are some types that are better pruned in the late winter or even in the late summer. 

Hydrangeas are beautiful plants with flowers that are so showy they’re prized around the world. They are perfect for adding pops of color to your garden, flowerbed, or flower boxes. Because they are easy to care for and tolerant of different light levels and soils, they remain a favorite plant for growing outdoors.